Reflection on what I have learned on course Instructional Design

Benefits implementing online learning
Teaching students to become life-long learners is one of the goals of the education among to create good citizens of the world. Traditional classroom settings does not give the learning dimensions that today’s learner demand. There has been an immense evolution from Learning software to Learning Managments Systems. It is possible nowadays to learn almost anything on distance learning systems. One of the benefits is precisely the ability to reach far communities where before was almost impossible to get quality education. Among the diversity of learning styles (Visul, Knestetic and Auditory) Online learning offers something for everybody. While Visual enjoys magazines, books and other types of reading materials where lecture is predominant, auditory more of Learn most effectively through audio books, lectures, oral presentations and verbal instructions, and Kinestetic enjoys creating models (Bogod, 2008), Online learning offers more than those opportunities to those learning styles and represents one more benefit of designing and implementing online courses.


Bogod, Liz. (2008). Retrieved from www.ldonline.net


How to apply it

While designing this course I found that professionally there are still many experiences to learn from this experience. That is, the exposure to the experience of designing a lesson with the “Backward design” and creating an online course was more of an introduction to the topic. Professionally, one important goal for next year will be getting students and teachers more exposure to this learning environment. Learning something new is always challenging for everyone. Therefore, taking baby steps with mini lessons will be my best approach. for example, I would integrate the lesson I created named “Basic technology to enhance learning in the classroom” into a series of professional development throughout three weeks. The course that I design probably will be used as a pilot program to test the experience among colleagues. For me, exposure is more important at this point. By getting faculty and students familiar with the environment will scare the fear away. I believe that “friendliness” of the program is going to be tested among the learning process. A school survey will be conducted to acquire feedback to improve future experiences.

Leadership
As a Technology leader in my campus I would integrate the courses up to some extend. Technology leader should use this resources to as a mean to provide learning experiences with appropriate curriculum units that use technology. (Technology Facilitation Standards, 2009). Since today teachers are longing to have learner centered professional development, it is necessary to understand that this learning tools may not fit all styles. It would be offered as an option. The fact that you could use the projector and sometimes a review face to face (FTF) class would most likely fit many other learning styles. There fore, a combination of both would be a better option to deliver skills and get teachers familiar with this learning environment.


Williamson, Jo, and Traci Redish. Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards. First Edition. Eugene, Oregon: ISTE, 2009. Print.

Some questions still arise at the end of this course:
What is the impact on elementary Level and the ways Online course is being used?
What is the acceptance level in the business world of a Master degree online vs. Face to face.

New Learning Application

Specifically speaking of learning theories, this new learning will be applied as a way to reflect on my understanding on learning processes. For example, I believe it is true when the author of How people Learn (
Bransford, Brown & Cocking, 2000). says that different kinds of learning goals require different approaches to instruction”. i.e. studying for State Standarized test which test learning vs. learning to learn a life long learners are two different goals that Teacher must strive to accomplish. One requires intense application of strategies and reasoning while the former requires more of a constructivism model of learning.
In the other hand, while reflecting on the instructional design learning theories (Dabbagh, 2006).I concluded that some computer software is designed under behaviorism/pragmatism such as Learning Managements Systems and learning games where consequences and set objectives are in place. Whereas Constructivism/Interpretivism is found in Simulations, games and even online courses where learner is needed to “make sense” or discover learning by following a series of tasks or information the teacher supplies.

Dabbagh. N. (2006). The instructional design knowledge base. Retrieved on March 18, 2010, from http://classweb.gmu.edu/ndabbagh/Resources/IDKB/models_theories.htm


Bransford, J.,Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (Ed.). (2000). How people learn. pp. 129-154 (Chapter 6). Washington DC: National Academy Press. Retrieved on March 18, 2010, at http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9853&page=131#p2000495f9970131001